


The Boy with the Voice

by chloebeale



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Transgender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-15
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-18 17:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/563525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloebeale/pseuds/chloebeale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>FTM!Beca. Beck Mitchell is an incoming freshman at Barden University. He doesn’t care about college or classes or really anything except music. Within the first day, he’s already developed a crush, made a new friend and worried entirely too much about what people think of him</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition, shoving the keys into his pocket as he slid out of the pickup truck. He circled the vehicle and pulled a few cardboard boxes out of the bed of the truck, carrying the stacked boxes in his strong arms while he left the parking lot to find his dorm building. 

Beck wasn’t looking forward to university, and the only reason he was even attending was because he was being forced to by his father, a professor here at Barden. He’d been lectured on the importance of education by both of his parents, actually, and he believed his father was conspiring against him with his mother, despite the divorce that separated them many years ago. 

On his way to the building, he saw a guy his age in the backseat of someone’s car. He was singing loudly and playing air guitar, and Beck couldn’t help but manage a tiny smirk despite himself. It took a lot to get someone like him to crack a smile. He might’ve even chuckled when the car took off, sending the guy careening into the car seat in front of him. What a dork. 

He reached the dorm without too much difficulty, aided by a colored campus map he’d snagged on his way, tucking it into his back pocket as he continued on his way. When he found the correct building he ascended the stairs to the fourth floor, which was unfortunately where his room was located. 

Beck was the first to arrive and he started to unpack his box before he settled onto the bed lazily. He wondered vaguely what his roommate would be like, and decided against going back out to get the rest of his stuff from his truck. He just wanted to get settled. 

As his dark blue eyes began to droop with exhaustion, he heard the door open. 

“Hey,” a voice called out, and Beck sat up to greet its owner. 

That’s when he realized he knew this guy. He laughed. 

“No way, air guitar guy’s my roomie? What’s up, man?” Beck asked him. 

“Not much, bro, just bringing in some stuff, and thanking the university gods for not giving me some nerdy roomie,” the guy admitted with a smile, sitting a few boxes on the floor by his bed, “I’m Jesse, by the way.” 

The kid actually extended his hand for a handshake. With a bemused grin, Beck didn’t get up nor shake the hand offered to him. Handshakes made him uneasy, anyway, as he was always concerned that his grip wouldn’t be firm enough and someone might notice. 

“Beck,” he responded coolly. 

“Like the singer?” 

The shorter guy rolled his eyes, like he hadn’t heard that one before. 

“No.” 

“Okay…” Jesse seemed to be taken aback by his rudeness, but Beck honestly didn’t care what he thought, “What’s your favorite movie, Beck?” 

Beck shrugged. 

“You have to have a favorite movie.” He sounded genuinely bothered by the fact that Beck hadn’t chosen something. 

“Says who?” The sarcastic boy retorted. 

Jesse sighed, obviously trying very hard here. 

“Okay, fine, what’s the last movie you saw?” he tried again. 

“I don’t know, I don’t really like movies…”

“You don’t like—how can you not like movies?!” Jesse gasped, pulling out a massive DVD collection from within his cardboard box, holding a few close to his chest like they were his children. 

Beck never had been a huge movie buff. He’d seen a few, obviously, but never really cared much to see anything if he could help it. 

“I get bored halfway through and turn it off.” He explained with another shrug. 

“The endings are the best part!” Jesse was getting mildly annoying now. 

Beck ran a hand through his hair and adjusted one of the spikes in his ear, he had them gauged slightly and since it was a new thing for him, his ears were bothering him a little. They were itching more than anything. But it was totally worth it. 

“Can I ask you something and you promise not to be offended?” His roommate prompted, leaving Beck nervous about what it was he was going to say. 

He wondered if he was passing as male, or if Jesse had picked up on the fact that he was biologically female and was about to say something terrible to him. It had, after all, taken a lot of convincing to get the college board to allow him to have a roommate at all, but with a signed doctor’s note and the promise that he was on hormones, he’d actually been able to do so. As his mom put it, all Beck wanted was a ‘normal college experience.’ He didn’t want it to be ruined especially not on the very first day. 

“Uh, I can’t promise not to be offended if I don’t know what you’re gonna ask me,” he finally replied honestly, not meeting Jesse’s gaze. 

Jesse nodded, “fair enough, I was just wondering if you were like, goth or emo or something, you know. With the piercings and the black nail polish and the way you dress, you look like you should be in a band,” he noted.

Beck chuckled, “I don’t identify as either of those things, or anything at all. I just like black, and I like the shit I wear, end of story. I was in a band back home, but quit so I could focus on my own music.” 

He wasn’t sure why but moments later he was explaining to Jesse about how he wanted to be a DJ, and how much he loved making music. For the first time he seemed to find something in common with his roommate, who didn’t want to DJ like he did, but at least had an interest in music too. Although Beck thought the idea of doing movie scores was a little dorky, he also had to admit it was kind of cool. With Jesse’s obvious passion for film, he could see him doing something like that. 

After bonding a little with Jesse (not that he would ever admit it to anyone), Beck was visited by his obnoxious father. In an effort to get away from him and an unavoidable pep talk, he excused himself to join Jesse at the activities fair, even though he wasn’t remotely interested in joining any of the groups on campus. 

He and Jesse looked around and he stopped at a promising DJ booth that disappointingly, turned out to be for Deaf Jews. Beck was walking with his roommate when he locked eyes with the only good-looking girl he’d seen since stepping on campus. 

She was a redhead – he had a serious hard on for gingers, his last ex had been a redhead – and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Trying to be casual, Beck approached her booth, manned by the redhead and an uptight looking blonde girl. 

“What are the Barden Bellas?” he asked, reading their sign. 

“We’re one of the four acapella groups on campus,” the redhead explained with a smile. 

“And the best,” the blonde cut in. 

“We’re the tits,” she shrugged as if that was a completely normal statement to make, “and we’re looking for recruits.” 

“Females only.” 

“Right,” Beck nodded, he’d only wanted an excuse to talk to the pretty girl, “well, I’m Beck, and you are?” 

“Too busy for this!” The uptight one said briskly, walking off and shoving flyers at random girls that walked by, leaving Beck and the redhead alone. Jesse had wandered off somewhere in the distance. 

“I’m Chloe,” the redhead said finally, giving him the kind of grin that made him weak in the knees. 

Beck grinned back at her, “it’s nice to meet you, Chloe, I hope I’ll see you around.” 

With a slight wave that he immediately regretted, Beck joined his roommate across the way, apparently watching and listening to one of the other acapella groups on campus. This group was apparently called the Trebles, he learned from the nerdy looking boy Jesse was talking to. 

He listened to the guys sing their rendition of Whip It, honestly impressed by their voices despite how the leader—he assumed he was the leader, he was arrogant enough—sang with an expression on his face resembling that of someone passing gas. 

Jesse joined in on the singing (who knew he could sing?) and grabbed some flyers, giving one to Beck. He wrinkled his nose at the idea and shoved the flyer deep into his pocket, something he forgot about until the next morning when he found it there. 

He rolled his eyes when he found the flyer the next morning, crumpling it up and throwing it in the garbage on his way to class. Yeah, right, like he’d ever sing with a group of guys. It was one thing to be in a band, and it was an entirely different animal to sing without instruments with an entire group of males. The whole thing just sounded incredibly lame to him. 

Beck was thankful when he found out that Jesse had earlier classes than he. That gave him alone time to get dressed, which was a lengthy process for him. As a transgender guy, he bound his chest every day to keep it flat, so no one would catch on and so that he could feel more comfortable in his body. Binders weren’t easy to put on nor were they enjoyable to wear, but it was necessary to live his life. He also spent an unprecedented amount of time choosing his outfits, because half the time nothing ever looked right or masculine enough on his small frame. 

He had to admit he’d bulked up a bit since starting testosterone but not as much as he’d hoped, and so he vowed to start going to the gym to work out between classes. He definitely had enough time to do so, but Beck had never really been the type for exercise. This would have to be an exception. 

Once he was dressed for the morning in his jeans, t-shirt and layered plaid button up, he put on his sneakers and a beanie, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he made his way out the door. Beck hated school, and he didn’t think college would be any different. 

Classes were boring no matter what, he figured, and so he wasn’t looking forward to attending them. More often than not, he decided, he probably wouldn’t attend. Hopefully attendance wasn’t mandatory, he’d heard that the policies were lax with some teachers, and hoped he was lucky enough to get those kinds of teachers. He was smart enough to get the material without attending anyway, if he did the work and reading outside of class, he’d be fine. 

Just as expected, classes totally sucked. He had decided to skip Philosophy, which sucked the most, and was lying down for a nap when his father decided to drop by. Of course he got a lecture on how he should go to class and his father basically demanded that he join a campus group. Beck mentioned the radio station that he and Jesse had both started interning at, but his father didn’t seem to think that was enough. He wasn’t really listening until his dad admitted that if he tried this year and participated and did well, if he still wanted to go to LA next year, his father would actually help him do it. 

Beck had wanted to move to LA to start his music career for years, and so this was what lit the fire under his butt. He was contemplating the different campus groups, wondering if maybe he could just convert to Judaism and pretend to be deaf, as he made his way to the gym to run on the treadmill. 

He was thankful when he saw there was no one else in the room and Beck stepped onto the treadmill with his headphones on, probably looking ridiculous wearing oversize DJ headphones when he was supposed to be exercising. He started out at a brisk walking pace and sang along to the music playing on his iPod, since no one else was around. 

He wasn’t sure when she got there but he saw a flash of red that made him jump. Beck lost his footing and fell off the treadmill, cursing as he banged his knee against the exercise equipment. The girl immediately jumped to his aid and his cheeks burned when he realized this was the same girl from the acapella booth he’d met on his first day. 

“Shit,” he hissed, pulling his headphones down to his neck and inspecting his knee. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, bending at his side and bringing her fingers gingerly to his leg, “Does this hurt?” she pushed down harder than he expected. 

“Fu—no, no, it’s fine,” Beck played it off like it wasn’t hurting as bad as it was, not wanting to look stupid in front of Chloe and wondering if she even remembered him. 

“If you say so,” Chloe smiled that infectious smile of hers, “your voice is really amazing.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Shit. He’d been singing. She’d heard him singing. 

“I love Titanium, it’s my lady jam,” Chloe referenced the specific song he’d been singing moments before his unfortunate treadmill accident, “and you sing it really well.” 

Beck shrugged, “if you say so.” 

“You should consider trying out for the acapella auditions tomorrow, I mean, I don’t want to help out the competition, but you’re obviously talented and I think you should share your gift with the world,” even though what she was saying was goofy and ridiculous, Beck found himself agreeing. 

Retiring from the gym to put ice on his now swollen knee, Beck said goodbye to the redhead, thinking about whether she was right. His father did say he should join a campus group, and from what he’d heard from Jesse, his friend was going to try out as well. He’d heard Jesse singing the same awful Kelly Clarkson song around the dorm several times, apparently this was the audition song. 

Beck wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to sing that song, though, and so he mostly blew off the idea until Friday right before auditions were coming to a close. 

I’ll just sing something else, he told himself as he tried to think of some way he could be creative and interesting, so that he could outweigh his obvious disadvantage with not performing the designated song. 

He thought he was too late when he stepped onto the side of the stage, but Chloe waved him forward wearing an excited grin that he couldn’t help but replicate. 

Suddenly he was stealing the cup from her table (getting a glare from her blonde friend) and performing his rendition of Lulu & the Lampshades “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” Everyone seemed genuinely impressed with his audition, and the blonde must have been, too, because she looked like she’d been sucking on a lemon. She was probably pissed that someone as awesome as he was would be joining one of the opposing teams. And Chloe’s blue eyes were trained on him the entire time, making him so nervous that he could barely concentrate. He could’ve swore that she was into him, but Beck told himself that if she knew the truth about him, she’d run away screaming just like the others had. 

He didn’t find out until later that he’d been accepted by the Trebles, the very same group Jesse had been inducted into. They had a ridiculous induction ceremony before most of them got ridiculously wasted. Most of the Trebles, it seemed, resided in a house together on campus complete with hot tub, and Beck learned that the leader with the gas face was apparently named Bumper. He didn’t like him at all, but he couldn’t deny that he was a good singer, and Beck thought maybe they would have a shot at winning competitions together.


	2. Chapter 2

Beck was pleased to discover that after induction, all of the inductees from each acapella group were brought together for the first time at what he considered the coolest and simultaneously the dorkiest party ever. The four groups scattered across the outdoor stadium, the sky black above them as they blasted their music and drank from the kegs set up near the bottom. 

Everyone seemed to be having a good time, he thought, except the bitchy blonde from the Bellas, who was scowling at all the Trebles every single chance she got. Despite her friend’s glares, Beck approached Chloe, giving her a half smile.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite Bella,” he greeted, causing her to break out into a grin.

She stepped forward, grabbing the bottom of his shirt playfully.

“And the only decent Treble,” Chloe murmured, looking into his eyes, “it’s a pity you couldn’t have joined the High Notes or the BU Harmonics, we could’ve had some fun together.”

He raised his eyebrows, “who says we can’t now?”

Chloe gestured across the way to the blonde, “Aubrey, she has this thing where it’s in the Bellas rules that we’re not allowed to be with a Treble,” she sighs like she thinks it’s the stupidest rule ever, “and Aubrey’s my best friend, I’m not just going to defy her like that.”

Despite Chloe’s insistence that they couldn’t do anything, Beck was still excited by her words. She’d basically outright admitted she was into him, and that if it wasn’t for Aubrey, she’d go for him. That was a first; actually, as Beck hadn’t really been with anyone since he’d realized he was transgender. It was a lot for someone to process. Of course, Chloe didn’t know and he wasn’t sure how she’d feel if she did know, but just knowing inside that he passed completely and that she actually genuinely liked him made him feel unbelievably happy.

“At least let me get you a drink, no harm in that, right?” Beck offered.

She shrugged, dancing a little too closely to him, not that he minded, “this ginger needs her jiggle juice!”

Laughing he made his way down to the beverages, snagging them each cups and joining her again near the top of the stairs. Beck could feel Aubrey’s gaze on him but he tried to ignore it. Instead he handed Chloe the plastic cup of beer and she thanked him, immediately downing it in an impressive time.

“Thirsty?”

Chloe nodded, “A little. Come dance with me!”

He didn’t have the ability to fight her as she pulled him down with everyone else, a gigantic mass of bodies dancing to the techno song pumping out of the speakers. Beck tried to loosen up a little bit even though he didn’t normally dance, and he probably looked like a total tool.

“Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?” Aubrey interrupted while squinting her eyes mirthfully at Beck and pulling Chloe away from him.

He couldn’t hear their voices over the music, but Aubrey looked pretty angry. Her eyebrows were knit together seriously and her mouth was opening too widely for normal talking, plus her forehead was doing this unattractive crinkling thing as she yelled. Chloe stood there with crossed arms, looking like a bitter teenager being scolded. She might have actually rolled her eyes.

After the lecture was seemingly over, Beck was thankful when Chloe made her way back to him.

“I gotta go,” is not what he expected to come out of her mouth.

“What? Why?” he asked, disappointed that she was leaving already and wondering if Aubrey’s words and chastisement had actually gotten to her.

Chloe gave him an apologetic smile and a kiss on the cheek before running off up the stairs after a group of girls he assumed were in the Bellas with her. He sighed as he watched her leave, her body getting smaller and smaller as she faded away into the distance. Concentrating on Chloe’s absence left him a little out of it and Beck jumped a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around without thinking, raising his hands like a ninja about to strike.

“Whoa, cool it,” Jesse held up his hands in defeat before Beck relaxed, “Tough break, man,” he commented in reference to what he’d just witnessed.

“Yeah,” Beck muttered, finishing his beer and pouring another, not bothering to wipe the foam that had settled onto the top of his lips. It wasn’t like he had anyone to impress.

His roommate patted his shoulder before awkwardly withdrawing his hand.

“You two were like destined to be together man, you’re an acapella boy and she’s an acapella girl, you’re gonna have acachildren, it’s inevitable,” he explained, obviously quite drunk, “sure, it’s not going to be easy but you’ll win her, right, like John Cusack in Say Anything, you could stand outside her window with a boom box and win her heart!”

“No one uses boom boxes anymore,” was all Beck could say.

“Fine, then, your iPhone. Point is, man, any girl worth being with is worth fighting for! Am I right or am I drunk?” Jesse laughed.

Beck chuckled lightly. “Maybe both.”

After the party drew to a close, Beck and Jesse returned to their room. It didn’t take long for his roommate to pass out in bed, giving Beck some much needed time to himself. He got on his Macbook and slid his headphones over his ears, hunching over in the most comfortable position as he worked on tying the two tracks together.

He had heard some interesting songs tonight and thought they’d sound nice together in one of his mixes. When Beck had an idea he couldn’t rest until he carried it out, and so he spent the next thirty minutes interlacing the songs until they sounded perfect. He shut off his computer and curled up in bed, thoughts about a certain redhead leading to some very pleasant dreams.

The next day was the start of practice, something Beck was dreading more than anything. Bumper ran rehearsal like the Bumper Show, everything was always about him and he didn’t spend much time focusing on what mattered. Beck wondered how it was they managed to win the past several years without the dedication he imagined they would have.

But they did sound pretty dope together singing Don’t Stop the Music, and the choreography flowed effortlessly. They only got better the more they practiced, too, and he knew that they’d kick ass at sectionals. He wondered vaguely what the Bellas were doing, secretly hoping he’d run into Chloe again, whom he hadn’t seen since that night.

Classes were whatever, he thought, attending some and ditching others, but still managing to do well on all of his assigned work. Beck spent his time out of class and rehearsals sleeping and working on mixes, as well as doing his required work at the radio station where he was interning. The guy who ran it was an arrogant asshole, but he’d grown used to being bossed around, being sent for lunches and stacking an atrocious number of CDs. Because he thought this would be a good experience for him, or so he hoped.

The day of sectionals snuck up on him and he found himself growing nervous for his first public performance with the group. Something about acapella singing made Beck feel much more vulnerable than performing with a band.

But everything went just as well as in rehearsals, if not better. The crowd loved them and even Beck enjoyed the sound and sight of screaming girls. He got so into it at one point that he touched some girl’s hand and he swore she almost fainted. It was like being in a boy band or something.

After their performance, the Trebles got to sit back and watch the others. Beck watched raptly as the Bellas performed. They sounded good, that was a given, but their routine was boring and tired. He liked Chloe’s bit—he thought she had a better voice than Aubrey—but the entire thing was lacking substance. There was nothing cool about it, he thought as he looked around and observed the audience, who looked even more displeased with their set than he did.

He wasn’t sure why he cared so much, but Beck approached the Bellas after sectionals, giving them what he thought was friendly advice. He told them that they should try to use updated songs, including those made famous by males, and that maybe their set would be more enjoyable. He tried to stick some positives in there, too, though, complimenting Chloe’s voice and offering the girl with the large breasts a wan smile. But Aubrey didn’t take it well at all.

“Aca-scuse me? What gives you the right to tell the Bellas what to do? Why should we take advice from you? This is probably a tactic; a plan of Bumper’s to throw us off. Well it’s not going to work, so you can go crawl back to your little dirt balls and we’ll see you at the Riff-Off, where we will undoubtedly own your ass!” Aubrey was fired up and Beck just grinned at her.

“It’s a cute ass,” the large chested girl behind Aubrey commented, looking over at Beck’s behind.

His jaw clenched a bit and he mumbled a thank you, repeating to Aubrey that he wasn’t trying to screw with her, but that he was genuinely trying to help. There was no use trying, though, because she didn’t believe him. The look of surprise and adoration that Chloe gave him was almost worth it.

The Riff-Off, it turned out, was almost akin to a rap battle. The four acapella groups (although to be honest, only two were worth a shit) met in a drained pool to duke it out for a lame microphone used by Hoobastank. Hoobastank wasn’t even a good band and Beck didn’t really give a shit about the mic. Winning the Riff-Off was more for bragging rights than anything else.

The first category was 80s females which wasn’t something Beck knew, but Bumper jumped right in with Mickey. He sang along, feeling like a total douche singing this song, and actually thankful when the BU Harmonics jumped in to sing their rendition of Like a Virgin. 

By the time the next category rolled around, they were singing about sex. At least this was something he knew about.

The Bellas started an impressive version of S&M, and Donald cut them off with Let’s Talk about Sex, which was predictable. It was Jesse who eventually jumped in singing Feels like the First Time, a goofy grin on his face due to his excitement about being able to contribute.

The Bellas cut Jesse off, though, Chloe starting to sing Britney Spears’ If U Seek Amy, her counterpart the large-bodied woman whose name actually was Amy, seemingly pleased by the song choice. It was when they were more than halfway through the song and it seemed like the Trebles were going to lose that Beck got his idea.

He stepped forward and interrupted this line “I've seen her once or twice before she knows my face, but it's—”

“It’s going down fade to Blackstreet, the homies got at me, collab creations funk like acne…” 

The Bellas looked impressed and surprised at the song choice, and Aubrey especially didn’t seem to recognize the song. But Beck spit it out with precision as the Trebles backed him, grinning over at Chloe triumphantly as they rounded out the song.

“We out,” Beck said, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

The Trebles won the microphone, thanks to him, and as Chloe came over to begrudgingly congratulate them, her hand lingered on his for a moment. He felt electricity coursing through his body and as he was about to ask her if maybe she’d like to get coffee sometime, she was dropping his hand and stalking off with the other girls. 

Beck sighed, being pulled into a celebratory Treble pile that was more gay than not. 

That night he had trouble sleeping, still thinking about Chloe’s insistence that they couldn’t be together. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal until Aubrey came between them quite literally, tearing Chloe away from their dancing. He’d been having such a good time, too. It wasn’t often Beck found someone he could vibe with, someone who made him smile and break out of his antisocial shell the way Chloe had. But it didn’t matter if she wouldn’t see him. Aubrey would make sure of that.

That’s why he was so surprised by the event of the next morning.

Beck had been lifting weights when he saw her, the petite redhead walking quickly into the gym. He put down the weights as she approached him.

“Good mo—” 

He wasn’t even able to get the words out before she slid onto his lap and curled her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

“What was that for?” he asked when she pulled away.

“I had to kiss you after seeing you rap last night. No Diggity’s like one of my favorite songs of all time,” Chloe was still seated on his lap, “Remember what I said the other day about not defying Aubrey?”

Beck nodded, wondering if she’d changed her mind. It seemed that she had, if she was going around kissing him like this. Not that he minded.

“Well, I’ve decided I don’t give a shit what Aubrey thinks, it’s my last year on the Bellas and she’s my best friend, it’s not like she’s going to kick ME off the team,” she reasoned, her fingers sliding across his hairline on the back of his neck, “I like you, and she’s just going to have to get over it.”

Beck smiled, his hands awkwardly settling to her waist as he looked into Chloe’s eyes, trying to figure out if she was being serious.

She was.

“I like you too, Chloe,” he murmured.

“Well, duh,” she teased, pulling him in for another kiss.

Someone else walked into the gym and looked over at them, causing Beck to push Chloe gently from his lap. He apologized under his breath and asked her to meet him at his room later. She agreed, squeezing his hand excitedly before she hurried away.

Beck finished the rest of his workout with a smile on his lips. He didn’t let it all sink in until his shower, looking down at his body and remembering what he’d been trying to forget. He wasn’t quite a normal guy, and Chloe was under the impression he was…how far could he take things with her before she figured it out?

He had to tell her that he was transgender, but he was at a complete loss as to how. He was afraid more than anything of scaring her away. Because now she was willing to be with him, what if the news that he wasn’t quite like other guys sent her running back into Aubrey’s arms? 

He sighed, getting dressed and walking leisurely back to the dorm with a lot on his mind. Beck liked her a lot already, and if he allowed this to escalate any further, his feelings would only grow more serious. He owed himself and Chloe the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

Beck had been waiting for quite some time for Chloe to meet him at his dorm. He’d managed to convince Jesse to go out; reminding him of the film festival going on at the local theater, and the movie buff was out of his way. But it had been a few hours since Beck had asked Chloe to come by the dorm and he was beginning to think she had changed her mind.

Just when he was about to give up and go to bed, Chloe stepped into the dorm without knocking, giving Beck a smile that knocked the wind out of him.

“Hey,” she greeted, her eyes trained onto him as she took a seat on his bed.

“Hey, I was beginning to think you weren’t gonna show,” Beck admitted.

“Why do you always…” Chloe began, sliding her fingers between his, “…assume the worst?”

Beck sighed at the accuracy of her statement. He couldn’t help but always think the worst, assuming that everyone would grow to hate him and that everyone would leave him the way his father had. It was natural for him to pull away from everyone.

“Habit, I guess.”

“You can trust me,” the redhead said quietly, her lips meeting his temple, “I care about you.”

It was a little startling hearing that, when in fact he hadn’t known Chloe very long at all. Sure, he liked her quite a bit, but the way she looked at him and spoke to him seemed genuine. As much as he thought this would excite him, he was more frightened by the prospect of someone liking him this much.

“Okay,” Beck lowered his voice, taking a deep breath as he prepared to be honest with her, “If you really mean that, there’s something I need to tell you…about me.”

Chloe nodded, not letting go of his hand but silently willing him to continue.

Nervously he wiggled his fingers against her, chuckling lightly as his heartbeat sped up.

“I’m trans…gender. I was born biologically female, but I’ve lived as male since I was twelve, and I’m on hormones, I bind my chest every day and I…” he trailed off, noticing her overwhelmed expression, “sorry if that’s a lot, but you deserve to know who you’re kissing, or whatever, and if it bothers you, this is your chance to run.”

There was a long silence between them, Chloe gazing at Beck before she tightened her hold on his hand. She licked her lips and took a breath.

“I’m not going to run,” she began, “but that’s a lot to just throw at someone. I don’t know what—what any of that really means, but I do know you’re different than any guy I’ve ever met,” when his face fell, she amended her statement, “in a good way.”

Beck smiled, wondering what he’d done to deserve a girl like Chloe in his life. He’d really expected her to leave, just like every other girl he’d ever liked, just like his father had. He still believed his coming out was part of why his dad left them, despite what his mother tried to say otherwise. It was just too much for most people to handle.

“Do you have questions? I’ll answer anything you wanna know,” he offered once he caught his breath.

Chloe thought about it for a moment before answering.

“Isn’t it hard for you? Having to hide who you are? I can’t imagine all the things you have to deal with, or how difficult it must be just to be treated normally,” she murmured, “does anyone else know?”

Beck shook his head, explaining that the only ones who knew were the staff of the university, the admissions department, his professors. Other than that, no one here at Barden knew he was trans.

“I’m afraid it would change the way people thought of me,” he explained, not meeting Chloe’s eyes.

“It changed the way I thought of you,” she admitted, and he looked up before she continued, “you’re so much stronger and more amazing than I ever thought possible.”

She let go of his hand only to bring her fingers across his cheek, brushing against his soft stubble found there. She smiled, leaning forward and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Do you mean that?” Beck whispered.

“Of course,” Chloe responded, “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

“Well, to answer your question, it is hard sometimes, not being honest with people. But it’s safer that way. Not everyone would be as understanding as you.”

“They’re ignorant.”

“They might be, but…they represent the dominant mindset of the area, because, well, if you haven’t noticed, we’re in Georgia. It’s the South. People here aren’t really known for their liberal mindset,” Beck laughed bitterly.

“I guess that makes sense. I’m not from here though, I’m from Florida, it’s a little more moderate there than anything. Where are you from?” Chloe asked curiously.

“Portland, Oregon, it’s a lot more open-minded than Atlanta.”

“Why did you come here then?” she queried, correcting herself right after, “not that I’m not glad you did.” The girl’s hand settled onto Beck’s knee.

He sighed, “It’s a long story. My dad’s a professor here, and it’s a free education. I wasn’t really in any position to say no.”

Chloe nodded in understanding, squeezing his knee before leaning in again. He didn’t give her a chance though, curling his arms around her and swooping in for a kiss. She giggled lightly when they pulled away.

“I was just thinking about how I’d never kissed you, it was always the other way around,” Beck mused.

“You can kiss me anytime.”

“Be careful, I might just take you up on that!”

The two of them settled into his bed together, opting to watch a movie as an excuse to spend more time together. Chloe kept asking him questions about being transgender, having him explain what it was like to bind his chest, how he chose his name and whether it was painful doing his testosterone shot. She even expressed interest in helping him with that, which he argued against, saying he’d rather do it himself. She sighed, leaning against his chest.

Beck flinched when her hand drifted beneath the hem of his shirt.

“Can you show me your binder?” Chloe asked innocently.

He pulled away, leaning up and shoving her hand away.

“I—I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s too personal and I just…” Beck looked so devastated that Chloe didn’t have a chance to be.

She nodded, sitting up on the bed and slipping her shoes back on.

“I understand,” Chloe glanced at the clock, “it’s late, I should probably get back. Aubrey’s going to be wondering where I am.”

“Right.”

“Bye,” the redhead spoke as she stood up, resting her hand on Beck’s head hesitantly before leaning down to kiss it, “I’ll see you.”

“Yeah,” Beck responded, watching her leave.

Once she was gone, he changed into his pajamas, relieved to finally take off his binder after a long day. He pulled the covers up over his body and tried to go to sleep, thinking about how he might’ve just hurt Chloe’s feelings. He couldn’t help but be a little squeamish about things like that, especially since he hadn’t known Chloe for very long. His crush on her didn’t change the fact that he didn’t know her well, despite wanting the opposite.

Eventually he fell asleep, unaware as to what was awaiting him at tomorrow’s rehearsal.

It seemed like a normal day as he headed to the rehearsal space, but Beck noticed the way his teammates, namely Bumper, were looking at him.

“Take a seat,” the leader spoke, serious for the first time ever as he gestured to a chair beside of where he was standing.

Nervously Beck obeyed, taking a seat and looking up at Bumper.

“You’ve been keeping something from us, haven’t you?” Bumper asked.

“I…” there was only one thing he could mean.

“Beck here isn’t actually a dude,” he continued, “He’s been pretending to be one the whole time. Why is that, huh? Are you spying on us?”

“N-no, I’m not, I’m transgender, and I—please don’t do this,” Beck pleaded.

Bumper laughed mirthfully, not believing him, “The Trebles is a guys only acapella group. Unless you can prove to me you’re one hundred percent male, you’re kicked out of the group.”

Beck wondered how Bumper could’ve possibly found out. No one knew except Chloe. He had trusted her, but she must’ve said something to someone. He looked down at the floor, fighting back tears. He knew he couldn’t prove anything.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to lie to you guys, but what I said was true. I’m transgender, and I’m taking hormones, and the university allowed me to stay in the guys’ dorm and no one was supposed to know,” Beck bit his lip, “I’ll go. I’m sorry.”

He stood up and grabbed his backpack, rushing out of the group to leave Bumper and the others there to discuss what had just happened.

“How’d you find out she wasn’t a dude?” Donald asked, not having been informed about the situation until now.

Jesse sighed, holding up Beck’s license, “Beck dropped this in our dorm. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it…and I showed Bumper,” it was obvious he regret saying something, not agreeing with Bumper’s decision to kick him out and feeling very guilty for outing him.

“You could get a single if you want to file a complaint, you know,” Bumper added, referring to their roommate situation.

Shaking his head, Jesse disagreed, “I don’t have a problem with him,” he pocketed the ID, “but if you guys do, then I’m out.”

Without another word he left the speechless Trebles.

Meanwhile, Beck had taken it upon himself him to confront Chloe, whom he believed had told his secret. He knew where their practice space was and so he tried there first, but it was empty, so he dropped by her dorm room.

He knocked loudly, trying to calm himself as he clenched and unclenched his fists waiting for Chloe to answer the door. She opened the door and gave him a smile.

“Beck, hi, I didn’t know you were dropping by,” she stepped outside and closed the door, “Aubrey’s inside, so I really can’t talk right now.”

Aubrey couldn’t know about their relationship, or whatever it had been, but Beck wasn’t concerned, since he was pretty intent on ending it now anyway.

“Did you tell someone about what I told you?” he accused, his voice full of bitterness.

“What? No, of course not,” Chloe couldn’t believe he’d ask her that.

“Well, Bumper and the guys found out, and they kicked me out of the Trebles.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry…” she leaned up to touch his arm but he pulled away from her touch.

Beck’s eyes dropped to the floor, “It’s fine, I don’t even care. Just please don’t say anything to anyone else, I can’t risk having the shit beat out of me.”

“I didn’t tell anyone!” Chloe argued, crossing her arms to her chest, “I swear! I didn’t even tell Aubrey. It’s no one’s business, Beck. I would never do that to you.”

He almost believed her.

“Yeah. I’ll see you around.”


	4. Chapter 4

 Beck avoided his roommate whenever possible after what happened with the Trebles. He couldn’t face him now that he knew the truth about his biological gender, and so he spent many late nights on campus trying to pass time. He’d made some pretty amazing mixes since the incident, though, channeling his emotions into his work yielded great results.

 A few times he ran into Jesse anyway, but he didn’t say much of anything and Jesse didn’t bring it up. He was thankful for that. But he couldn’t avoid him forever, which he knew.

It was Saturday when Beck walked into his room, expecting Jesse to be at the radio station like he was every afternoon. Beck had taken the morning shift just to avoid him.

But there Jesse was, lounging on his bed reading _Entertainment Weekly_ as if he was just waiting for Beck’s arrival.

“Hey, bro, we need to talk,” Jesse said immediately upon seeing him.

Beck rolled his eyes, that line was reserved for breakups, not serious bro-to-bro discussions.

“I don’t want to talk,” he murmured, pulling his headphones over his ears and walking over to his desk, where he took the plug and replaced it from his iPod to his computer.

Jesse came up behind him and ripped the headphones off his head.

“Dude, be careful with those!” Beck yelled, grabbing them out of his roommate’s hands and sitting them gingerly on the keyboard of his Macbook, “Fine, if you want to talk, I’ll listen, but I don’t have much of anything to say.”

Nodding triumphantly, Jesse leaned against the bookcase.

“I’m sorry about everything, man, it’s all my fault,” he admitted, “I found your license and I guess I flipped out at first, and for some stupid reason I showed Bumper, and he was such a dick about it. When I saw his reaction I realized what an idiot I was…and I can’t believe he kicked you out, but dude, I promise you, I’ll get him to let you back in the group. As far as I’m concerned you’re a guy and that’s all that matters to me, okay? I’ve never met someone like you before, and that’s not an excuse for how I acted, just an explanation. I was dumb. But I did research, and,” he grinned sheepishly, “I’m not such an ignorant jerk anymore, so I guess we both win. ‘cept you’re not a Treble now and that sucks.”

“It’s cool, I don’t care. Thanks for being honest though, I guess I owe Chloe an apology,” Beck murmured, thinking back to how he’d acted toward her the other day.

“Oh, man, you thought _she_ said something?”

“Yeah, she’s the only person who knew so I assumed…” he sighed guiltily.

“You gotta go apologize! Like now! Maybe with a grand romantic gesture, remember, the iPhone outside her window? Or you could go _Love Actually_ with the cards, or…” Jesse stood deep in thought.

Beck laughed, “Or I’ll apologize the normal way.”

“Yeah, if you want to be boring,” his roommate frowned.

“Not everyone’s as exciting as you, I guess. It’s late but I’ll drop by her room. I feel really bad for assuming she’d do that to me, I guess I just think the worst all the time…just like she said.”

“I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have showed him your ID,” Jesse obviously felt remorseful about his actions, probably due to the consequences they’d had.

Beck wasn’t angry with him, though, not the way he had been with Chloe. Telling someone and having them share your secret was totally different from someone finding out and telling someone else. Or so he thought, anyway. It meant breaking trust, and that was something he was not okay with. But she hadn’t broken his trust, just like she’d tried to say when she attempted to defend herself.

With a sigh he headed to Chloe’s room, his hands deep in his pockets as he tried to work out what he was going to say in his head.

Once he reached the familiar wooden door, he knocked and waited for an answer.

It was Aubrey who came to the door.

“She has nothing to say to you. I don’t know what it is you did, she won’t tell me, but you need to leave. It’s better that she doesn’t get involved with you, anyway, you are the enemy after all.” The blonde said defiantly.

Beck could see Chloe in the background, leaning in to listen to their conversation.

“I was a bonehead. It’s a long story, but I should have trusted her and I didn’t. I blamed her for something that wasn’t her fault, and now I’m sick thinking she’ll never talk to me again,” he paused, looking at his feet and not Aubrey’s icy glare, “and I’m not the enemy anymore, seeing as how I’m no longer a Treble.”

“Oh?” Aubrey perked up, squinting a little, “Really?”

Beck nodded, “Really. Bumper’s an asshat.”

Aubrey laughed out loud at the comment, agreeing with him. She stepped a little to the side and Chloe approached him.

“You were a _butthead_ , Beck, but I understand that you were just upset and it probably was your first thought to blame me. I get that you’re not used to trusting people and you’ve been hurt before, but I’m not gonna do that to you,” Chloe promised, looking over at her best friend.

“And since you’re no longer a Treble, you’re free to date Chloe, if you wish to,” Aubrey smiled.

“I…” Beck wasn’t even sure if Chloe was interested.

“Just say yes, you idiot,” Chloe stepped forward and kissed him right in front of Aubrey, who rolled her eyes a little, still smiling, “you’re buying me a coffee,” she announced, grabbing his hand after their lips parted, pulling him down the hallway, “I’ll be back later!” she chirped to her roommate.

Beck was grinning openly as he strode down the hall, his fingers laced in Chloe’s. They didn’t have the hide the fact that they were going somewhere together with her roommate, which was a nice change, and he felt better now that she had forgiven him for his idiocy. He’d been so lost without her in his life, considering she was literally the only person he hung out with outside of the Trebles, and he’d not been hanging with them either.

“So what happened? How did Bumper find out? And why did he kick you out of the Trebles?” Chloe wondered as they rounded a corner.

“I guess Jesse found my license, and his first thought was to show Bumper. He apologized and he told me that he accepts me for me, but Bumper’s an idiot. I’m not surprised. He said the Trebles are an all-male group and so I can’t be one of them,” Beck muttered, “I don’t want to be in a group with that ignorant asshole, anyway.”

“He’s always been like that. Don’t take it too personally,” the redhead offered as they stepped out of the dorm building, headed toward the café.

Beck shrugged, “I’m trying not to. But in my time away from you and them, I’ve worked up some pretty sweet mixes. I was wondering if maybe Aubrey would consider you guys working some of ‘em into your routine? I’d love to see you kick the Trebles asses.”

Chloe laughed softly, “I can try, but there’s no guarantee she’ll listen. I bet they’re awesome though!”

“They are,” he promised, tightening his hold on Chloe’s hand.

The two of them continued to talk about his mixes and about the Bellas as they entered the café. Beck ordered a plain coffee and Chloe ordered some complex flavored coffee drink that would’ve been completely impossible for Beck to get out of his mouth let alone want to try. It looked okay, though, and he chalked it up to her strange personality as they took a seat at one of the open tables.

“I guess this is our first date,” Chloe announced after putting her beverage down, her eyes sparkling at Beck mischievously.

“Date? If I’d known, I would’ve worn something less casual. Maybe a bow tie,” he smirked.

“Oh, wow, I kind of have a thing for guys in ties,” she admitted, biting her lip slightly, “I might not be able to control myself if you wore formal wear around me.”

“All the more reason to make this happen,” Beck chuckled, “our next date, we’re going out and we’re dressing up. Pretend it’s prom or something. I never went to prom anyway.”

Chloe gasped dramatically, her eyes widening.

“You NEVER went to prom?!” it was as if he’d just admitted that he’d never breathed before, “I went all four years, I can’t imagine not going to prom! It’s settled. We’ll go somewhere that has a dance floor, too, and you’ll buy me a corsage, it’ll be great!”

He wasn’t the type to go all out like that, but Beck figured Chloe was worth it. He reluctantly agreed, keeping the conversation flowing as he drank his coffee, pleased with how much better things were going than they had been when he’d woken up that morning. It seemed like everything was on the right track again and he couldn’t be happier.


	5. Chapter 5

 

Beck stood in front of the full length mirror, adjusting his bow tie. When it was finally straight, he looked himself over again, actually pleased with his appearance. He was wearing a white dress shirt, a black vest and the red bow tie, along with black dress pants and shiny dress shoes. He’d had to go to the thrift store on the corner to get a few of these things, but he had to admit he looked pretty awesome.

He took a picture with his phone, giving in to his vain side for a moment, because who knew when he’d ever dress up like this again? After he took a good photo (it required a few efforts) he returned to his room and grabbed the bagged corsage and his room key, saying goodbye to Jesse before he headed to meet Chloe at her dorm room.

He texted her on the way and opened the door when he arrived, greeted by the sight of Chloe in a gorgeous spaghetti strapped black dress.

“I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you,” Beck told her earnestly, feeling like a bit of a dork.

She laughed and he came forward, attaching the lily corsage to her wrist and giving her a kiss before asking if she was ready. Chloe nodded and they walked out together to the parking lot, where a car was waiting for them. It was actually Beck’s dad driving, not that he’d admit that to his date, and they got into the back seat, being driven to the low key restaurant that fulfilled all of their requirements for tonight’s date.

“Oh, perfect,” Chloe commented as they walked in, taking note of the dance floor and smiling as they were led to their table.

The two of them ordered their drinks and not long after, their food. Chloe insisted that while they wait on their food to be prepared and delivered, that it was time to dance, and Beck knew better than to argue. He led her out to the dance floor by the hand, putting his hands on her waist as she pulled her arms around his neck in the traditional slow dancing pose.

“This is nice,” she commented, leaning in close to him.

“I probably would’ve gone to prom,” Beck began with a chuckle, “if I’d known a girl as amazing as you in high school. But I guess you were worth the wait.”

“Geesh, you really know how to charm a girl, Mr. Mitchell,” Chloe grinned, tightening her arms around his neck and giving him a quick kiss, “For what it’s worth, you’re a better date than all four of my prom dates combined. Much more polite, handsome, not to mention a total badass.”

Beck laughed, rolling his eyes as he felt his face grow warm. He thanked her awkwardly and they continued chatting and dancing together. When the music picked up they dropped their arms and attempted to fast dance together, although he was a bit of a spaz when it came to that. Mostly he just stood and swayed while Chloe did her thing. She did a lot of sexualized dancing like most girls did, rubbing against him and causing him to blush even more.

Once their food arrived they left the dance floor in favor of their table, continuing their conversation about the Bellas. He explained that he’d like to sit in on their rehearsals tomorrow and get a feel for their voices, and then he could engineer the perfect mashup to suit all of them that they could perform at finals.

“I know you guys are gonna make it to finals, so I want to make sure you guys win. It can’t be a Treble win this year, especially with everything that happened. The Bellas have to win.”

“With that attitude, I’m sure Aubrey will listen,” Chloe admitted with a grin.

They opted for dessert, sharing a delicious piece of chocolate cake. Chloe teased Beck as she ate, making sexual sounds as she savored the good taste of the chocolate. He mumbled that it wasn’t necessary but she kept on doing so, only getting louder. She didn’t really mind what people thought of her, Beck reminded himself as he observed the beautiful girl across from him, and he could really take a page from her book on that.

Beck paid, despite Chloe’s protests, and they walked together back to campus, deciding they’d rather spend more time together strolling through the night than to take another car ride. Besides, Beck didn’t really want to have to hit his father up for yet another ride.

The walk wasn’t long and Chloe smirked at Beck when they reached her dorm room.

“You know, Aubrey’s going to be out all night, if you’d like to stay over,” she offered, raising her eyebrows seductively at him.

Beck fought the urge to ask where her roommate was, deciding it was better not to ask, although he couldn’t imagine someone brave enough to take her on as a romantic partner. He eventually agreed to stay with Chloe, only on the condition that he could go by his room and pick up a few things.

“Sure, gives me time to get ready,” she told him in a whisper, running a hand through his hair and giving him a long kiss before he stumbled out of the room.

He hurried to his dorm room, grabbing the essentials to stay over—a change of clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, the usual, and prepared himself in other ways, pulling out the pack and play strap on that he’d bought for this purpose. He slid into the harness, which was a pair of basic briefs and set up the cock, feeling a little ridiculous as he did so. Putting his pants back on, he shoved a couple condoms in his pocket and headed back to Chloe’s.

Beck wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when he opened the door to Chloe’s dorm, but it certainly wasn’t what he saw.

Chloe laid across her bed, clad in matching red lingerie, the frilly kind that girls always wore on dates or during Victoria’s Secret ads, he figured. He closed the door, leaning against it as he gawked at her, his jaw slack as he tried not to drool.

“Welcome back, I’ve been waiting for you,” she purred, uncrossing her legs and gazing up at him expectantly, “are you going to come here or just lean against the door all night?”

It was as if she’d flicked a switch from sweet Chloe to sexy Chloe and Beck was confused, amazed and aroused all at the same time. Nervously he licked his lips, kicking off his shoes and approaching her. Once he was close enough, she grabbed his hand and jerked him over. He complied, climbing on top of her and looking down at her exquisite body.

“Wow,” he whispered at the sight, he’d never seen anyone look so gorgeous before, and he’d never done anything like this with anyone, either, which he’d neglected to tell her—but he felt ready.

“It’s all for you,” Chloe told him, “you’re a special guy, and I wanted to show you how much I like you.”

“You don’t have to—I mean, don’t feel obligated to…”

“I don’t,” she cut him off, “I want to. Now shut up and touch me.”

Blinking at her abrupt command, Beck gingerly brought his fingers along Chloe’s toned stomach, watching as she took in a breath in response. Her skin was soft to his touch, even more so than he imagined, and he leaned down, kissing a path from her neck down to where his fingers had just been. He kissed her on the lips then, his hands slowly moving to her breasts.

 Chloe’s hands were roaming all around him, digging into his back, ripping off his vest, clasping his ass and eventually settling between his legs. Her eyes widened when she felt the strap on.

“You came prepared,” she murmured against his neck, nipping at his sensitive skin.

He nodded quickly, growing more confident as he groped Chloe’s breasts, fiddling awkwardly with her bra to get it unfastened. It wasn’t easy to do when she was laying on it. But he got it off and was greeted by the extremely pleasant sight of her bare breasts.

He apparently was taking too long, though, because Chloe grabbed his hands and placed them onto her chest before returning hers between his legs to stroke him. Even though he couldn’t feel the apparatus attached to him, her movement was doing wonders for his arousal. Not to mention how amazing she felt under his fingers.

“I really like you,” Beck told her, looking into her blue eyes as he paused for a moment, “I’ve never liked someone this much.”

“I’m glad,” Chloe breathed, guiding his hand between her legs.

“Wait, I was trying to…I wanted to ask if you’d be my girlfriend.”

“Of course, dummy, would I be doing this with you otherwise?” she chuckled, and he kissed her, brushing his lips against hers a second time after he pulled away.

“So you’re my girlfriend now,” Beck clarified.

“And you’re my boyfriend,” Chloe affirmed, pushing his hand against her again.

Laughing at her impatience and insistence, Beck slid down her panties, his fingers teasing her entrance as he dropped his head to her breasts, desperate to trail his tongue along them. She panted as his fingers entered her and he flicked his tongue across her nipples. He couldn’t believe how aroused she was, and was oddly proud to think he was the reason behind it all.

“I can’t wait,” Chloe murmured, unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down.

Immediately she saw the strap on protruding from the o-ring in the center of his briefs and she gasped lightly, moving her fingers to touch him for a moment. She gazed at his reaction and smiled a little before admitting she needed him inside of her now.

Beck unwrapped the condom from his pocket and slid it onto his cock before positioning himself at Chloe’s entrance. She asked if she could take off his shirt and he agreed hesitantly, feeling her fingers fiddle with the buttons on his shirt as he entered her. Once his shirt was gone, she gripped his shoulders, sliding her thumbs over the fabric of his binder for a moment of curiosity.

Then she couldn’t focus on anything else, because Beck was thrusting in and out of her in perfect rhythm. She dug her nails into his skin, her hips bucking as she aided the thrusting. It felt so amazing, she thought, and no different from sex with any biological male.

As she neared her orgasm she began to worry about his, knowing that he might not be able to come from penetrative sex like this. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do or how she was supposed to pleasure him.

But her thoughts were gone as the orgasm rippled over her body and she moaned into Beck’s ear before kissing him everywhere, pleading with him to take off the binder, to let her return the favor.

“Next time, I promise,” he told her, not feeling ready to delve that far into sexual relations when he’d never done any of this before.

He already felt vulnerable and wasn’t sure he could stand being even more so, and Chloe said she understood, asking him to explain what she could do to him when the time came. He stumbled over his words as he tried his best to tell her what he’d want, feeling awkward talking about sex when he’d never really discussed it with anyone before.

As he climbed beside of her to join her in bed, Beck snuggled his body close to his new girlfriend.

“You’re not going to sleep in that, are you?” she asked, gesturing to his binder.

As much as he wished he could, he knew it was unsafe for him not to. He couldn’t bind for any more than eight to twelve hours without risking serious damage to his body. He shook his head, sighing as he got up from the bed.

Turning his back to Chloe and asking her to close her eyes for good measure, he bent down slightly, putting his fingers under the bottom of the binder and pulling it upward over his head. He groaned a little, it was no easy process taking off a binder, but he felt that he could breathe better once it was off.

Beck changed into a loose fitting t-shirt, hoping Chloe wouldn’t say anything about the fact that he wasn’t totally flat now. It was something he was obviously very self-conscious about. He removed the strap on, too, placing it back on his bag before crawling back into bed with Chloe.

“You can open your beautiful blue eyes now,” he prodded her and she did so, her eyelashes fluttering as she turned to look at him.

“Feel better?” she wondered sleepily.

“Much.”

“Good.”


	6. Chapter 6

 

Beck’s eyes flew open when he felt someone jump on top of him. Unprepared, a string of curse words left his mouth as the redhead landed on him, grinning madly.

“Good morning, sailor mouth,” Chloe laughed, capturing his lips in a kiss before gesturing to the bedside table, “I got us some coffee, and you, sir, are a heavy sleeper. I was forced to take matters into my own hands,” she explained as those hands began to roam over Beck’s body.

“I like when a girl takes matters into her own hands,” he retorted sleepily.

“Sexy sleep voice,” she teased, “I could, you know, if you wanted,” her fingers lifted the band of his boxers, “I feel like I kinda owe you after last night, anyway.”

Chloe was referring to the sex they’d had last night, and she’d been worrying about Beck getting off ever since then. She wanted to return the favor but he was iffy about his body, which was understandable, but she wasn’t going to judge him or see him any differently. No matter how many times she told him that, he wouldn’t listen.

“You don’t owe me anything, Chloe. Besides, I got off after you fell asleep,” Beck smirked, pushing her softly off of him and sliding over to reach the coffee she’d delivered, “so, what time’s rehearsal?” he asked, as they’d agreed that he would sit in and meet the girls to figure out some mixes that would play to their strengths.

Chloe grabbed her own coffee and took a long drink, allowing the hot beverage to coat her throat. She was excited to introduce her new boyfriend to the Bellas, and she hoped he could come up with some new, fresh, awesome ideas for their final performance. She had faith that he could.

“Ten thirty, so in like twenty minutes, would you like some breakfast? I have pop tarts,” she offered, holding up a box to him.

“Toss me some.”

Chloe threw a package of pop tarts at Beck and hit him in the gut. He let out an ‘oof’ noise and then chuckled, opening the wrapper and breaking off part of the pastry, dipping it into his coffee before putting it into his mouth.

“I like this waking-up-beside-you thing,” Chloe told Beck absently as she mimicked his own action, surprised to find that the pop tart tasted better after being dipped in her coffee.

“Me too,” Beck grinned as she took a seat beside of him on the bed, “You talk in your sleep, though. Not like a word or two, either. Like entire paragraphs.”

“What? I do not!”

“Aubrey’s never told you?”

“No…”

“Maybe she’s just sparing your feelings.”

The playful banter continued for a short period of time until the two got dressed and headed to the rehearsal space. Chloe finished her coffee as they stepped in and she threw the cup in the trash on the way, taking a seat next to her friends.

“Good morning, Bellas! I welcome you to yet another morning rehearsal. Please stay focused and dedicated, because regionals are in two days, and we need to win. Also, joining us at rehearsal today is Chloe’s friend, she’ll be introducing him to you all,” Aubrey explained, her eyes flickering over to the redhead, “you have the floor, Chlo.”

Chloe waved energetically, getting up and pulling Beck over with her.

“Hi, ladies! So this is my boyfriend, Beck,” Aubrey gave her a look like she couldn’t believe she hadn’t told her, “that part’s new, heh. But he’s a former Treble, and he hates them just as much, if not more than we do. He’s a DJ and a musical genius, and he’s going to be working with us to improve our routine! Today he wants to meet you all and find a little more out about your particular strengths in music and then he’ll get to work on our finals routine, if Aubrey approves it of course.”

The girls all came over to introduce themselves to him, Stacie fighting through to do so first.

“I remember you, and that cute little ass of yours,” she grinned.

Beck looked over at Chloe, chuckling a little despite being a bit uncomfortable.

“I’m Stacie, I’m an awesome dancer, and I really dig fun, sexy music, so please choose something like that, I’m so sick of this vagina music, you know?”

Amy wasn’t far behind Stacie, immediately telling him all about herself.

“Hi there, Beckaroo! I’m Fat Amy, I sing from my breast voice!” she demonstrated, “and I do all kinds of dancing, mermaid dancing, and pirate dancing, just about anything you can think of, I got a dance to it. I guess my strength is adding humor to the performance and keepin’ it interesting and anything that requires a little extra oomph, I’m your girl.”

“Cynthia Rose, I prefer r&b music, something like Rihanna, or maybe Nicki. Keep it fresh and cool, and we’ll be good.”

“I’m Lilly,” Beck had to listen super hard to even hear that much, and he didn’t catch the rest of what she said, except for the word “beatbox,” which he filed away for later.

The other girls, whose names he pretty much forgot instantly upon hearing them, also spoke with him. Aubrey broke up the conversation after a while, saying that they needed to focus on practice now and so Beck sat back and observed the rehearsal, jotting down a few notes and ideas whenever he got them.

After rehearsal was over, Chloe found Beck again, asking him what he thought and if he had any ideas. He insisted that he had a few ideas brewing already but when prompted, he said it was a surprise that he wouldn’t share until he was finished. He told her that he thought they were all very talented and had no doubt that they’d make it to finals. That earned him a pretty big kiss.

“Oh, um, I wanted to ask you something,” Beck asked, his arm looped around his girlfriend’s waist as they neared his dorm building.

“Sure, what’s up?” Chloe responded.

“Today’s T-day. Time for my testosterone shot. You said you were interested, I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want, or you can watch if you want, or not, I just…if you want to, you can.”

“That wasn’t a question,” the redhead giggled, “but yeah, I’m interested. I’ll do it for you. My mother’s a nurse; I’m not bothered by needles. Where are you doing it? I read that you’re supposed to rotate injection shots.”

Beck nodded, “the thigh. My dad helped me with the butt shot last time. Boy was that uncomfortable. But now I’m glad he did it so you don’t have to,” he looked down.

“You have a cute butt, I wouldn’t have minded,” Chloe slapped his butt and laughed as they walked into the dorm building together.

Beck led them toward his room, explaining on the way what she would be doing. He was thinking about how sweet it was that she’d actually done research on her own, showing that she really did care about him and about the things he was going through. He grinned and let her inside the room, taking out everything they’d need for the shot.

Chloe left to wash her hands and came back, following Beck’s instructions. She cleaned off the top of the testosterone bottle with an alcohol wipe and let it dry for a bit, talking to her boyfriend about what she was about to do and whether it would hurt. He assured her that he was used to it and it didn’t bother him anymore, and he got into his underwear, showing her the area she’d be injecting into.

Getting out the syringe, she pulled back on it to allow the air in, and then she put the needle into the testosterone vial, drawing back and making sure she had the correct dosage amount. Verifying the amount with Beck, Chloe took a breath. She pulled the syringe out of the vial and tapped it, feeling like a nurse in a film or something, and pressed the air out via the plunger.

“Okay, so now I clean your thigh,” she used an alcohol wipe on the injection site on Beck’s upper thigh, “here we go,” and she pressed the needle into his skin, wincing as she did so, asking if she did okay.

“There would be blood in the syringe if you hit a vein, and you didn’t, so that’s good,” he explained, “I’ve done that before, and that’s not good. Now just press and inject.”

Chloe nodded, injecting the testosterone slowly into the spot. She then removed the needle and disposed of it in Beck’s designated container, sitting down and watching her boyfriend as he massaged the area, explaining that it helped the medication disperse.

“I did it!” she exclaimed happily.

“You did it,” Beck grinned, kissing her on the lips, “that’s the first time I’ve let a girl do that, you know, besides like, my mom.”

“Aw, I feel special,” Chloe admitted, leaning into his shoulder, “so, I really need to do some research for this stupid history paper I’m working on, do you wanna come with me to the library?”

“Sure.”

Beck and Chloe spent most of that day with each other, studying together in the library and grabbing dinner together, and this time Chloe spent the evening at Beck’s dorm. Everything was great between them, and he shared some of his mixes with her, which she seemed to really enjoy and respect. They spent the next day at Bella’s rehearsal, a full day of rehearsal to prepare them for the next day’s regionals. On the day of regionals, Beck came with the girls for moral support.

“You ladies are gonna kill it!” he told them before they took the stage, clasping Chloe’s hands in his as he told her how talented she was in a low voice.

“You’re the cutest,” Chloe responded, smiling and turning to the rest of the Bellas, “let’s do this!”

The Bella’s performance was great since they’d changed up the setlist a little, but Aubrey hadn’t budged yet from her all-women song choices. Despite how great their voices sounded, the songs were pretty stale and unremarkable, and they placed second. At least they would be going on to finals, though, and that was all that was important.

“Are you sure your boyfriend is going to make sure we win?” Aubrey asked Chloe uncertainly after they received their trophy.

“He’s on our side, Bree; he wants to kick the Trebles’ asses. He’s got some amazing ideas, and after spring break, we’re all going to meet and discuss them. We’ll get to work on the new routine then, and we’re going to WIN!”


	7. Chapter 7

 

“You aren’t gonna believe this,” Jesse told his roommate as he entered the room.

Beck looked up from his laptop, where he was putting the finishing touches on his mix for the Bellas. He was due to meet them in about an hour and show them what he came up with. They’d made it through regionals and soon they’d go to finals, and if Aubrey agreed, they would be using Beck’s routine.

“What?” Beck asked absently, hating being made to guess something out of nowhere.

“Bumper quit the Trebles. He left to go to LA. I guess John Mayer wants him to guest on his new album,” Jesse laughed, “that’ll be interesting, both of them are assholes. But anyway, Bumper’s gone, and the rest of the Trebles and I have talked about it, and we want to let you back into the Trebles.”

“Oh.”

Uncertain as to how he was supposed to react, Beck closed his laptop lid and looked at his friend and roommate, appreciating his offer but not sure how he felt about it. He wanted the Bellas to win, and he’d started helping them, how would it look if he joined the Trebles again? Besides, Chloe cared a lot about what Aubrey thought and Aubrey hated the Trebles…he had to think about his girlfriend in this.

“I’ll give you time to think about it, just let me know by tomorrow morning, we have practice.”

“Okay,” Beck agreed, opening his laptop back open and finishing where he left off.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jesse grab his own laptop and pop in a movie, settling onto the bed beside of him and starting to watch. Beck rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his work, pushing play and listening to the entire finished product before he saved it to make sure everything sounded good. When he was satisfied of a job well done, he saved the mix to his usb drive and turned off his MacBook, telling his roommate that he was heading out.

He dropped by Chloe’s dorm, as it wasn’t yet time for rehearsal and he figured they could just go together. He wanted to give her and Aubrey the mix early and let them listen before the rest of the Bellas, as well as ask them their opinion on him joining the Trebles again.

Aubrey answered the door, moving aside to let him in. With the usb drive in his palm, Beck made his way over to the desk and plugged the device into Chloe’s laptop.

“Are you ready?” he asked his girlfriend, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

She nodded and the three of them stood there as the sounds of his mix played through. Of course he only used the original songs, so it wasn’t quite as good as what it would be when the Bellas did it, especially the beatboxing that Lilly could apparently do. But they seemed impressed with the sheer amount of songs he’d worked into the mix.

“What’s with the ‘don’t forget about me’ song?” Aubrey asked curiously.

“Kind of an homage to my roomie, but I was thinking you and Chloe could sing it, it is your last year after all, and…it fit, I guess,” he explained.

“I really like it!” Chloe squealed, hugging Beck, “I think Cynthia Rose is going to LOVE how you incorporated Price Tag; I can totally hear her singing it in my head already.”

“It’s very good,” Aubrey finally admitted, looking at least a little impressed with him.

Beck grinned, glad to find that he had earned Aubrey’s respect.

“Thank you,” he bowed dramatically, “I do have something else I’d like to discuss with you guys.”

Chloe quirked an eyebrow, “what?”

“Bumper quit the Trebles. He’s off to live his dream life with John Mayer.”

“Bumper’s gay with John Mayer?” Chloe gasped.

“No, he’s doing vocal for his album or something, but anyway, he’s gone, as in not coming back for finals, and Jesse asked me if I’d be interested in joining the Trebles again with their full support. I know you guys don’t like them, because they were your rivals, but they’re actually pretty cool. It was Bumper who was the jackass, the others have nothing against you,” as Beck explained this, he realized how important it was to him that they said yes, really wishing he could join the guys again and feel like he fit somewhere. He needed that in his life.

“Hmm,” Aubrey wasn’t shooting flames out of her eyeballs yet, that was good news, “He’s really gone?”

“He’s really gone.”

“Okay, but we’re going to kick your ass, especially with this,” she tore the usb drive out of the laptop, causing an outcry from Chloe, who was worried she’d just lost the entire file not ejecting it properly, “and you are barred from our rehearsals. Don’t tell the Trebles what our ideas are, or I’ll personally rip off your testicles myself.”

Beck chuckled at her reference, not having the heart to tell her that he didn’t have any testicles to speak of, exchanging an amused glance with Chloe. He agreed, checking to see if the file on the usb was still valid (it was) and giving his girlfriend a quick kiss before he hurried back to his dorm to tell Jesse the good news.

“Hey man, I thought about it, and I’m in!” he announced as soon as he stepped foot into the small dorm room.

Jesse shoved his laptop to the side, not even bothering to pause his movie and ran over to Beck, giving him a hug. He pat his back in a masculine manner then pulled away before things got awkward.

“Dude, I’m so glad to hear that. Alright, we got rehearsal in the AM, and we got the perfect song for you to sing. We’re doing a mashup of Cee-Lo’s Bright Lights Bigger City and As Long as You Love Me, by Justin Bieber. I know, Bieber’s lame, but you gotta give him credit, the ladies love him and he’s gotten cooler lately. That song because you’ve got the perfect voice for it, and Donald can do the rap part, so it’s gonna be ace,” Jesse told him excitedly.

“I got no beef with the Biebz,” Beck laughed, “Sounds cool; I like that song, actually. The Bellas are going with a mashup I made for them and it’s going to be sick, they’re really talented, so if you want to beat them, good luck.”

“I don’t care if we win, I just want to have a good time, and I’m stoked you’re a Treble again,” Jesse admitted, putting Beck in a headlock and mussing up his hair, “I missed you, bro.”

Chuckling, Beck fought against him and managed to push off his roommate.

“Missed me? We’ve been sharing a room this whole time!”

The nerves were palpable in the air the day of finals, the two Barden groups gathered together backstage before the final performance. The Trebles were scheduled to go first, and Beck was being prepped by Chloe, an action that required a lot of hand squeezing and face kissing, as well as whispers that he was going to ‘kick ass.’ The Trebles came together (1, 2, 3, swag!) and all of them headed out except for Beck. He had to wait for his golden moment.

When Jesse finished up the verse, he stepped forward, the audience coming into view. Beck clutched the microphone and began to sing the opening verse to As Long as You Love Me. The crowd went wild, and they were so loud he could barely hear his own voice let alone the heart that was undoubtedly pounding in his chest. They rocked it so hard that he barely realized it when the song was over, the sounds of shrill screaming in his ears. He felt some of his buddies lift him up in the air and cheer, and he looked over to see Unicycle giving the audience a full view of his six pack.

Rolling his eyes, Beck followed the Trebles into the audience, sitting in his designated seat and looking up at the stage as he waited for the Bellas to start their performance. He was still nervous, only this time for them and about the fact that they were performing his mixes.

The crowd seemed shocked when the Bellas performed something totally different, and it didn’t take long for them to get into the number just as they had with the Trebles. Beck joined in with the cheering, feeling a hand clap his shoulder when Chloe and Aubrey started singing the Simple Minds song.

“That’s awesome!” he admitted, putting his fist high in the air with Beck when it came to that point, the two of them having watched the Breakfast Club together a few weeks ago.

The roar of the crowd was even more earsplitting when the Bellas were finished, and it was clear who had won finals. Chloe came running down off the stage toward him and Beck scooped her up in his arms, planting a slow kiss on her lips.

“I’m so proud of you,” she told him hurriedly, stroking the side of his face.

“Are you kidding? I’m proud of YOU. You kicked ass, you guys are going to win, and you so deserve it,” Beck beamed, kissing the top of his girlfriend’s head.

“We do, don’t we?” Aubrey responded gleefully, waiting for the judges to deliberate.

They all sat down together and waited for about ten minutes until one of the judges came on stage to announce the winner. Beck clutched Chloe’s hand tightly as he waited for the man on stage to say who had won.

“And the winner, by consensus of all the judges, is the BARDEN BELLAS!”

Squealing, Chloe and the Bellas stomped their way up to the stage, accepting their award with pride. Aubrey attempted to finagle the microphone to make her acceptance speech, but the judge insisted they weren’t allowing speeches and thanked everyone for coming. The audience started filing out and the Bellas came back over to the Trebles, mingling together for the first time.

“How about we all get out of here and get some dinner before we head back to Barden?” Aubrey suggested, smiling happily with the large trophy in her hands.

“Sounds awesome,” Jesse stepped over to Aubrey, “I could carry that for you if you want.”

“No, I’ve got it.”

“Okay, cool, a self-sufficient girl, I can dig that,” he walked alongside her as Beck and Chloe walked behind them, “what’s your favorite movie?”

“I think your friend is hitting on my friend,” Chloe told Beck with a laugh.

“I think my friend is about to get shut down, hard,” he responded as they neared the bus in the parking lot.

He couldn’t have imagined a better way to end this semester. Beck was so pleased with how everything had turned out. He found a group he fit into, friends, and a girlfriend. He felt accepted for who he was and comfortable in his own skin. He couldn’t ask for anything more. He knew that his father would be thrilled when he told him that he was going to stay at Barden, and even more thrilled when he met Chloe. Beck knew that his girlfriend was a catch, and he was actually ridiculously looking forward to the two of them meeting for the first time.

With a smile Beck and his friends piled into the van together, their destination a local Denny’s down the street. It was the best night he’d had in a long time, and one of many best nights to come.

 

 


End file.
